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Venidon
Venidon was once a pastoral and verdant kingdom on the eastern coast of the Known Lands. Its borders ran from the southern edge of the Nuairan plains along the eastern edge of the Dunmaerik Plateau to the southern coast (occupied by modern-day Ezir and Falcrest). Venidon was an early state of the Ezirandi people, and the largest casualty of the Haphrises War. In the modern era, Venidon is a desolate wasteland of cracked, dry and rocky soil devoid of nutrients and life. Few animals live within the wastes, and a few small tribes live along the eastern coastline, surviving from fishing and scraping a hard existence from the land. History The history of Venidon is closely tied to the expansion of the Ezirandi people. In the years leading up to Elven Contact ( 425 KR to 755 KR | 500 BE to 75 BE), The Ezirandi settled the fertile lands north of the Ezir Peninsula and began to thrive. Where the settlers began as subsistence farmers, they were soon able to produce such a bountiful harvest that the surplus was traded among their settlements and even shipped as far south as Thaimi. The expansive plains between the Dunmaerik Plateau and the ocean came to be known as Deiter's Palms, named after a young druid who first spread the knowledge of sustainable farming and ranching. Venidon was the site of the first Elven Contact, with a diplomatic party of elves moving south from Nuaira to the city of Karji, then Venidon's largest settlement. The diplomats were essential in establishing lines of trade with the Ezirandi, traveling to Thaimi to establish a trade alliance. Haphrises War (1005 KR to 1020 KR | 325 AE to 340 AE) During the years of the Ezirandi-Elven Alliance, Venidon continued to thrive. Trade between the two nations passed through the country, with prosperity growing in leaps and bounds along trade routes. For three hundred years, Venidon grew into an economic powerhouse rivalled only by the Capitol city of Thaimi. In 325 AE, all that changed. The Haphrises launched their attack on the elven nation using their own magic. The conflict quickly escalated into outright war. The ensuing chaos and destruction quickly destroyed much of Venidon's roads and cities, caught in the middle of armies from both nations. Hundreds of civilian lives and thousands of military personnell were lost as a result of the various battles. The End of Venidon (1020 KR | 340 AE) In 340 AE, as the massive armies of elves and men clashed in the Battle of Jairi, a powerful elven wizard named Kethenica tapped into the very life of the world, sacrificing himself with a powerful spell in what was later named Kethenica's Gambit. The magical energy spread through the leylines of Venidon, twisting and warping and blasting the life from everything within hundreds of miles. Hundreds of thousands of elves and Ezirandi died in an instant, blown away into ash in the face of the cataclysm, and in the blink of an eye the nation was gone, replaced by a grey waste. Economy Venidon was once a thriving economic powerhouse, rivaled only by the Ezirandi capitol city of Thaimi. It produced and exported livestock, wool, coal, iron, wood, gold, wheat, beer, arms and armor, and food to Nuaira and Ezir, while it imported whatever goods were not produced nationally. Beyond its exports, however, it acted as a trading hub between Nuaira and Ezir. Steep tarrifs on goods ensured a steady stream of revenue from both nations, allowing for strong infrastructure and a thriving economy. Post-Haphrises War After Kethenica's Gambit destroyed Venidon, there exists little trace of the country's former glory. The land produces nothing, the people are a hard-tack tribal sort who subsist on fishing and only minimal trade with other tribes. Demographics Venidon is home to a few small tribes of Ezirandi. Unlike their contemporaries, they live a rough, primitive life. In the whole of the country, there are perhaps 200-300 people, known as the Venidan, organized into communal groups of 20-50. Governance Venidon once existed under a Plutocratic Calphate. A Caliph ruled the country, advised by a council of the wealthiest men in Venidon. At the time of its destruction, the Caliph was Sa'ah al-Manai, a direct descendant of the Tribal Council of Ezir. After Kethenica's Gambit, the various tribes operate independently of one another, organized in either Tribal Council or communist fashion. Geography Venidon has a total area of approximately 45,000 square miles, including 3,200 square miles of water. Venidon is bordered by Nuaira to the north; by Dunmaerik to the west; and by Ezir and Falcrest to the south. Venidon's northern and southern borders are defined by the edges of the grey waste effect of Kethenica's Gambit. In the south, these are the hills surrounding the Ezirandi Barrier. In the north, this is a sudden change from dry, rocky soil to lush, green plains. The western border of Venidon is defined as the eastern edge of the Dunmaerik Plateau. Climate Venidon is a temperate, maritime environment. Venidon becomes increasingly warmer and more humid farther south and east. The coastal weather is subject to hurricanes. Venidon has an averge of 45 inches of annual precipitation. Due to the effects of Kethenica's Gambit, however, very little water remains on the surface. Most water sources are also fouled and unable to sustain life. Cold air masses over the western mountains (the eastern edge of the Dunmaerik Plateau) can lead to significant snowfalls which, in turn, lead to flash flooding in the spring. Notes Category:World Information Category:Countries Category:Kingdoms